I'm a terrible string junkie and I'm sorely tempted.....

What are they like, and how do they compare with 'standard' Evahs on a violin? Help me out please, someone!

Aah i very nearly tried these but then went for my beloved Peter Infelds - i've tried about 10 types of strings but the only ones that suit are PIs
Interested about the Evah golds though, Evah's are 2nd best to PIs on my violin

I was just about to order my next set of (green) Evah's when I saw these.....like you, Minstrel, I am in a quandary about what to do!

I think, however, that sets come with a steel E, not the gold-plated one we all know and love. That 'Gold' tag is going to be really confusing!

I don't find any benefit of gold e strings o_O
I used to spend ?10+ on my E's, always gold assuming they were better. Then when i started music colege my teacher told me theres little difference between e strings, in his opinion. So i bought a ?1.20 e string. No audible difference

I now use wondertone solo advanced steel E's which are the best out of all the gold, steel and platinum E's ive ever tried! (too many, probably...o_O

back to the subject - GET THE GOOOLDSSS! ...so you can tell us about them

String choice is very personal, though, and obviously all instruments/set ups are different, so there isn't a one-size-fits-all.

I had a Wondertone Solo E on my violin and it sounded much harsher than the Pirastro gold E. I freely admit I also like the look and feel of the gold ones which certainly are more pleasant to play on than the cheeswire we've all come across!

Very true

To report back, I thought I'd be a bit cheeky and email Pirastro with my professional details and ask for a sample set . Although they've usually been very helpful in the past they must be either belt-tightening OR demand is well ahead of supply as they got back to say that they weren't sending out demo sets at present .
Seems like I'll have to save up this time